When Man's Best Friend Is Obese

[The Straight Story]

When Man's Best Friend Is Obese

For 12-year-old Buffy of Calabash, N.C., the trouble began with too much steak (and chicken and ice cream) at dinnertime. In nearby Ocean Isle Beach, six-year-old Hershey harbors a fondness for beef and cheese snacks. And 14-year-old Fridge of Longwood, Fla., gets cranky if his bowl isn't full.

Buffy, Hershey and Fridge are pets battling excess weight and obesity. As more Americans confront their own weight issues, furry housemates increasingly struggle alongside them. New data due out this week indicate the problem is reaching epidemic proportions, with more than half of U.S. dogs and cats now overweight or obese. Of pets considered to be "obese"—defined as 30% above normal weight—one-fifth of dogs and cats fit the bill, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, which conducted the survey with Mars Inc.'s Banfield Pet Hospital, the nation's largest general veterinary practice.

The main culprit: owners who routinely overfeed pets, don't exercise them enough and are unaware of the severe, and costly, health problems caused by excess weight. Common woes include diabetes, arthritis, kidney failure, high blood pressure and cancer. Research also suggests that pets fed less over their lifetime can live significantly longer.

Now, new efforts are afoot to stem what many vets believe is the single most preventable health crisis facing the country's 171 million-plus dog and cat pets. They include software for doctors to track a pet's "Body Condition Score," a blood test that could quickly determine animals' body-fat percentage, Weight Watchers-type pet diet plans and doggie treadmills.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704476604576158372088195308.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_LeadStoryNA

[InvisibleTouch]

1. One thing I have noticed at the dog parks:

Overweight dogs invariably have overweight owners. Normal-weight dogs can have overweight owners too, but I've never seen an overweight dog with a normal-weight owner.

[Shagbark Hickory]

3. PPl at dog parks too lazy to walk their dogs and give them proper exercise.

They sit on their ass and tell their fat ass dogs to run around.

[undeterred]

8. Two loops around my dog park is one mile.

Lots of people walk 4 loops every time they visit, sometimes twice a day. Thats 4 miles a day. That aint lazy.

[Shagbark Hickory]

9. I'm talking about the peeps who don't do that. n/t

[Missy Vixen]

13. Is that so?

The last time we were at the dog park, I sat next to a guy on the park bench for a few minutes. I've seen him around before. He's on oxygen. He has lung cancer. He also has a four-year-old yellow Lab he used to go hunting with, and he is heartbroken that he will have to find another home for his sweet boy fairly soon.

The dog is well-cared for. His owner can't run with him anymore, so he brings him to the park, where he can run and play with other dogs. If we didn't already have two cats besides our chocolate Lab, we'd be thrilled to give his pup a home.

I guess this guy's just a "fat ass" and "lazy" too, huh?

[Shagbark Hickory]

14. No my dear. I'm talking about the lazy asses who aren't on oxygen. nt

What an example. Gee whiz.

[lukasahero]

16. I think the lesson here is

don't make such general insults about people as a group. But I suspect you have no interest in learning from your mistakes.

[Shagbark Hickory]

21. Speaking of general insults.

nt

[lukasahero]

25. No, I'm pretty sure mine was specific

There is a difference.

[Missy Vixen]

17. Of course, the "lazy asses" who "aren't on oxygen"

won't move as fast, so they're open to ridicule, too.

:eyes:

[Shagbark Hickory]

22. Pretty easy to tell who takes their dogs for walks in this forum.

And who doesn't.

[Motown_Johnny]

18. wrong, just plain wrong

I spend more time walking around the park than I would ever do walking my dog on a leash simply because it is more enjoyable. Also my dog is off her leash so she gets to run at her own pace and get more exercise than if she was forced to move at my pace.


I also know some people who would simply do laps over and over again and would get in a specific distance for themselves while letting their dog(s) run.

Yes, there are some people who sit on a bench and let the dogs exercise themselves. I am not saying that that group does not exist but most are older or in some way unable to spend as much time walking as the rest of us. The dogs are also free to run and play with the other dogs to exercise. Once again this is better for the animal than being forced to the limits their human owners have.


Your generalization is way off base.

[Shagbark Hickory]

26. Part of the exercise is running at the human's pace, not at their own pace. And,

Bark parks are for socialization (sniffing butts), not for exercise. At least it should be unless you're not using it for its intended purpose.
The last thing I want to see is dogs that never get one iota of exercise running in an enclosed area with mellowed out dogs.

If you want to run your dog off leash, that's great. Find an enclosed dog run or other safe area. But don't understimate the value of leash walks. If your dog never walks on leash, imagine what they're going to be like on those occasions where they need to be on leash.

But alas, it sounds like you've chimed in defensively even though you're probably not the subject of my comment. (RE the lazy ass people that take their dogs to the bark park and say ("go play") as their sole means of exercise.

[elocs]

5. Pretty much true. Overweight people tend to have overweight kids, dogs, and cats.

After all, food is love. My vet loves to see my cat because he says it reminds him of what a normal weight cat should look like.

[pansypoo53219]

6. i have 2 cats.

actually my pairs of cats one has always weighed more. te curret pair seems that one is an insomniac and sybil is thinner, the usual more sleep cat is, well, big, but not obese. he eats less gushy food than sybil. we need to chase basil.

[WatsonT]

15. I wonder if it's a coping mechanism?

Surround yourself with fat animals and it seems more normal to be overweight? Or perhaps both stem from a poor understanding of nutrition/exercise.

[firehorse]

2. My last 2 cats ate only dry food and they died of diabetes and kidney failture

At the time it seemed like a good idea. By age three, both were overweight. After they got sick, I realized too late feeding them dry food was like feeding them cookies all day, every day of their lives.

My current cats eat mainly "raw food" nutritionally balanced frozen pucks, and occasionally they eat grain free canned wellness for their "junk food" treat. Their other treat is cucumbers. These cats are in amazing health. They are sleek, their weight is perfect, and their fur is so glossy its blinding.

[Mariana]

12. My cat got diabetes eating dry food, too.

Fortunately, he made it very obvious that he was sick early on, I know lots of animals don't do that. I got him to the vet and got him on proper food before too much damage was done. I had to give him insulin for a couple of weeks, but once his glucose got where it should be, it stayed there and he's been off the needle for six months. My fingers are crossed, but his vet thinks he's going to be just fine in the long run - as long as he NEVER, EVER eats dry food again.

[beac]

19. I fed my cat dry for years. She began having dandruff and shedding problems about

a year and a half ago. I tried fish oil and other supplements to try and help her. Nothing worked. At her annual check up, my vet said that the latest findings are that cats should NEVER eat dry food and ideally a wet food with as few non-meat ingredients as possible and ABSOLUTELY no fish.

We switched her over about six months ago and the difference is REMARKABLE. Her cost is great, she lost weight (she needed to) and she's full of vim and vigor (she's 12.) My mother was having similar issues w/her older cat and the switch to wet food had the same terrific effect for her.


For the cucumber treats, how do you prepare them? Chucks, slices???

[Holly_Hobby]

24. I feed raw too

My dogs are in awesome shape and healthy.

[Shagbark Hickory]

4. Mars owns Banfield? *That* I didn't know.

Anyway, yet another story of someone "loving" their pets to death.

[undeterred]

7. Opposite effect in my house.

My young active dog eats a healthy diet and needs a lot of exercise. His needs have made me change my ways. He gets no human food at all, and I get more walks than I did with my last dog who was arthritic. Of course this dog is my pack leader, but thats another story.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. My cockatiel died at 23 from old age

and the two conures, well connie was a tad chubby, we needed to keep them separate. Now that she is walking more (and flying)... she is svelte Cookie is thin as well. They no longer eat any seeds... that actually leads to a slew of problems, it is like feeding them candy all day. They had some turkey and rice for dinner, like us.

[flvegan]

11. Have you seen the number of obese young children? Pets obviously would be no different.

Pack your dependents full of garbage or too much non-garbage, without enough exercise, they'll get fat. The shock.

Those with medical issues may not have this apply.

Oddly enough, it's almost astonishing that people can't follow simple veterinary rules and/or read the back of the fucking bag of kibble.

[Motown_Johnny]

20. overfeeding may be the wrong term

I have always left dry dog food out for my dogs. I don't think they should ever need to go hungry just because I am running late. They have always had, what amounts to, an unlimited amount of food to consume.


I have never had any overweight pets. I have even helped with the weight problems of some of my friend's and neighbor's pets. It isn't about how much they eat, it is about what they eat.

Human food simply isn't made for dogs and they shouldn't get so much that it has any chance of affecting their weight.

[MindPilot]

23. My two dogs always have dry food available to free-feed.

They get top-quality wet food, egg, and some scraps in the morning and they have a decent sized yard accessible to them all the time. I admit I don't take them to the park as often as I should.

One is pretty heavy and the other is slim; I think it's more genetics than anything else. So my dog is fat (for the record, I am not) so what? He's happy. A long life is not the be all and end all of existence. Frankly I would rather have a content dog for 12 years than a hungry one for 15. Same goes for me.

[TBF]

27. Solution for overweight people and their dogs: WALK

Lots of dogs in my neighborhood (I hear them when I walk my own dog) - but rarely are they walked. I know the regular walkers and there aren't very many.